Press releases
(06/17/16)
Take off with high-end surface solutions for the aerospace industry

Balzers, Liechtenstein, June 2016 – Tribological wear, friction and mechanical impacts take their toll. During operation, aerospace components must withstand wear, corrosion, thermal effects, erosion and greater loads whilst still maintaining their characteristics of light weight and low friction. Plus: mechanical aerospace components have to comply with very strict regulations regarding environmental and safety requirements. Oerlikon Balzers and Oerlikon Metco, both part of the Surface Solutions Segment of the Oerlikon Group, are scheduled to display their complementary offerings for the aerospace industry at the 2016 Farnborough International Airshow.

The objective of a coating is to protect against an undesired effect, such as friction, wear, corrosion, or heat transfer. Coatings can also add new properties to facilitate a desired effect, such as thermal conduction, gas permeability, electrical conduction, magnetism, self-lubrication and low friction. To maximize operational efficiency and safety in the aerospace industry, functional coatings play an essential role as they enhance surface properties and increase the performance and reliability of critical aerospace components.

Oerlikon Balzers: Greater performance and reliability

Protected with BALINIT coatings from Oerlikon Balzers, such as the new BALINIT TURBINE PRO, the light-weight materials and components used in the aerospace industry permit greater loads, meet closer tolerances, and lower the cost of maintenance. They exhibit excellent wear resistance, low co-efficient of friction and functional stability at high temperature while also improving the corrosion resistance. Consequently, this facilitates a longer service life and prolonged maintenance intervals, reduced energy consumption in flight systems and dry running operation in oil-free systems - thus giving the lowest cost of ownership.

Besides, materials important to the aerospace industry like titanium and nickel alloys impose severe stress, not only thermally but also mechanically, on the tools used to machine them. Composite materials, which are increasingly used in the light-weight construction of aerospace parts, are challenging to cut. Oerlikon Balzers’ customized BALINIT coatings, such as the new BALINIT DIAMOND coatings, developed for the needs of the aerospace industry, improve the cutting parameters for a wide spectrum of applications while still ensuring the lifetime of the tool remains at a high level.